Villa Angela-St. Joseph forward Carlton Bragg has been medically cleared to return to practice and is expected to return to the Vikings’ lineup this weekend.
Bragg has missed the past four games with a broken toe on his right foot. The 6-foot-10 junior, one of the top recruits in the nation for the class of 2015, has practiced this week with the Vikings and is expected to return to the lineup on Friday when VASJ plays St. Thomas Aquinas.
“Carlton has been cleared,” Coach Babe Kwasniak said. “I’ll be cautious with it, though. We’re not going to do anything that would hurt him going forward.”Bragg originally injured his foot during a practice on Monday, Jan. 27, one day after the Vikings had defeated Mentor in the Dunk4Diabetes Shootout at Walsh University.
In his absence, VASJ has won four of five games, with victories against Cleveland Central Catholic, 54-44, Warren JFK, 79-43, Holy Name, 82-58, and Trinity, 71-54, along with a 73-60 loss to St. Vincent-St. Mary.
In 13 games, Bragg is averaging 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line.
Kwasniak said Bragg will be eased back into the lineup. After playing St. Thomas Aquinas, the Vikings face St. Ignatius on Saturday. They end the regular season next week against St. Edward and Cleveland Central Catholic.
“Ideally, we’d like to get him 20 to 22 minutes on Friday,” Kwasniak said, “and see where we’re at on Saturday.”